L's Real Friend
by Marie Alexandra
Summary: L makes a true friend.


Marie Alexandra sat in the small hotel room on a chair by the window, with her left leg tucked underneath her. She just sat there, watching him.

L was staring off into space, his thumb resting on his bottom lip. His chin sat on his knees as his eyes bored hungrily into the wall opposite him. He was sitting on a couch opposite Marie's chair. They were waiting for the rest of the team to get back. Everyone had said that they wanted to get out of the room for a while. Light had accompanied Meesa to the mall, and the police force went out for doughnuts.

"You've been staring at me for the past ten minutes and thirty-five seconds. Why is that?" L turned his staring eyes on Marie and stared at her. Marie just blinked.

"You've been staring into a wall for the past fifteen and a half minutes…I was just imagining what you could be thinking about."

"Oh." L seemed a little surprised. "What do you think I'm thinking about?"

"Hmmm…" Marie cocked her head to one side, studying him some more.

"Different things, I suppose."

"Different things…?" L seemed a little perturbed by the answer.

"Because you're a different person." Marie explained.

"Oh. Of course." That made sense.

Silence found the room again for a while. L stared at the clock on the wall, seemingly fascinated by the motion of its' ticking hands. Marie Alexandra stared at the ceiling. The cracks in the plaster made different patterns…she was soon lost in them.

"Now what are you thinking about?" L wondered aloud after another quarter of an hour had passed.

"What it would be like to be lost in one of those cracks and never able to get out again."

"Actually I was talking to myself, but that's very interesting too." This Marie was an odd person. He didn't feel so estranged around her like he did around the policemen he worked with all the time.

"Wouldn't you rather go with Matsuda?" L said. "You two seem to get along rather well."

"He's babysitting Meesa. Besides, I enjoy your company." Marie replied. After a moment of silence, she added,

"Do you want me to leave?"

"Oh, no. Just wondering."

L watched the second hand pass around once more.

"You…enjoy my company?"

"Yes…why shouldn't I?"

"I never thought I made very good company."

"Why not?" Marie seemed surprised.

"Hmm…that's a good question." He thought a moment. "I suppose because I never tried to be anyone's company."

"Doesn't it get boring? Being by yourself all the time?"

"No…not really. You can't miss anything you haven't had, can you?"

"I guess not." Marie seemed bothered, but she didn't say anything. After a while of wondering, L asked,

"Is something troubling you?"

"Don't you get lonely? You can't see anyone…so you can hardly make friends. You never even go outside."

"I don't care for the outdoors." L said, glancing toward the shuttered window. After a moment, he added,

"I suppose it does get lonely, come to think of it."

"You have memories to keep you busy though."

"Hm?"

"Don't you? Of your father or mother or something?"

"No. I don't remember them. In fact, I grew up in a dull old orphanage so the memories I do have aren't really worth remembering."

"Oh." Marie sighed. "That's really sad."

"I suppose it is." L agreed. "Did you have a father and mother?"

"Yeah. Sisters and brothers too that I told stories to. And a dog."

"Mm."

Marie asked,

"Did you ever have a friend?"

L supposed he shouldn't have been surprised by the question, but it did anyway. This was an unusual conversation.

"No…I never did."

"That's awful."

"Why? Well…I suppose so." L sighed. This conversation was depressing. He felt very sad now. He glanced over at Marie. She was looking just as sad as he felt. He wondered why. He knew that some people were just strongly affected by people's life stories, but Marie didn't seem to be that way. She was a paradoxical person, though. She stood up and went to the hotel room's kitchenette. L continued to watch the clock, now thinking about family and friends and nothing about Kira and Light. He wasn't sure which train of thought he preferred.

A moment later the next thing he saw was a piece of angel food cake on a paper plate. It had whipped cream (from the can- which is always best) and a strawberry (frozen, but that's what was there) on it. He stared at it with some surprise, then looked up. Marie was standing over him, holding another identical piece of cake in her other hand. She flashed him a grin.

"You do like cake, don't you?"

"Yes…" L took the plate slowly. Marie sat down at the other end of the couch and handed L a fork.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, taking the utensil.

"Because you're wrong."

"I'm…wrong?"

"Yes. Incredibly wrong. Probably more wrong than you've ever been in your life, in fact."

"I am?"

"I'm running out of ways to say 'yes' L."

"What do you mean?" For the first time in a long time L wasn't finished with half his cake in the first three seconds of it's being in his presence. He looked intently at Marie. What could she possibly be talking about?

She tried to hide a smirk and went to the kitchenette for a glass of milk. He followed.

"What do you mean?" L asked again. How could he be wrong? They weren't even debating about anything. What was there to be wrong _about?_

"That you never had a friend."

L looked at her, still perplexed. Then something totally inexplicable happened.

Marie grabbed L in a warm hug. She clasped her hands together behind him, refusing to let go.

L stared in total shock. He vaguely wondered if it were possible for his eyeballs to actually pop out.

"Me! _Me_ you dolt! I'm your friend!" She said, vehemently. "And really, I've been around for almost 17 years so you've been wrong 17 years straight!"

L stared at her.

"You're…I have a friend? Hm."

After a second's deliberation, he wrapped his arms around her tightly, laughing and not wanting to let go.

When they finally stopped hugging, Marie grinned at him.

"Isn't it great to be proven wrong once in a while?"

"I suppose it is." He smiled at her.

"Let's go eat our cake now."

"Yes. Good idea."

They went back to the couch, after Marie finished pouring the milk. After a second, L pointed to Marie's piece of cake.

"Do friends take larger pieces of cake?"

Marie laughed.

OKAY- I ADMIT it- I love L. I just do. He'd make the greatest friend ever. And what's more, he needs one. A REAL one, not his mortal enemy pretending to be his friend.

No gay or sexual comments please.

*I do not own death note. Marie Alexandra is me, so I do own that.


End file.
